Page 33 of Dr. Scandal Claus

"Excuse me," I grunted, interrupting him, and I turned to walk away, but as I did I heard him call after me.

"Be careful you're not disappointing the administration again, Nick. You only get so many chances."

His words rang in my ears all the way to my office and even as I was driving home. When Fiona realized she couldn't seduce meback into her web of deceit, she sent her father. People like that disgusted me.

I headed home and changed, grabbed my sunscreen and a towel, and got back into my car to head to Scarlett's. By the time I got there she and Ethan were ready and waiting. I helped them pack their beach blanket, umbrella, cooler, and chairs in the trunk of my car, and we were off.

The drive to the lake was pleasant, and we found a spot not too far from the water's edge. For August it was a nice day, warm enough to enjoy the water and sun, but not too hot to make it miserable. Scarlett looked incredible in her wrap around one-piece suit and the large black floppy hat she wore to shade her face and shoulders. Ethan had the classic American flag pattern swim trunks but chose a bright yellow swim shirt with built-in sunscreen protection. I just tore my shirt off and let the sun kiss my skin.

When Ethan ran off toward the water shortly after we ate our picnic lunch, Scarlett leaned over to kiss me softly. Her lips were salty from the potato chips we'd eaten and I couldn't help but indulge a little, deepening the kiss and enjoying the salty flavor.

"Mmm you're yummier than a potato chip." I smiled as I pulled away and she sighed but she looked stressed. "Is everything okay?" I asked her. I knew work had been tense, and now on days she wanted to have time off, she had to close the bakery early.

"The interviews aren't going well." Her shoulders slumped a little and I noticed a bit of sun on her nose. If I didn't get sunblock on her she'd be in pain later. I reached for the lotion and squeezed some in my palm as she continued, and I rubbed it onto her skin. "I haven't found a decent replacement, and I'm starting to worry with the downward trend in sales that I might be losing the bakery."

"I won't let that happen, baby," I reassured her as I lotioned her.

"I just don't want people saying I'm a gold digger, Nick. I want to do this on my own." She had been adamant for weeks that she wouldn't take my money, but I still offered it to her.

"Well, say what you will, but when we come out of all this haze on top and your bakery is booming, people will see we love each other and that you have never been anything but the love of my life." I kissed the back of her shoulder and she grew quiet as we watched Ethan splash in the water.

She had so much weight on her shoulders I couldn't wait to rip the bandage off and move past this present hurdle of telling Ethan the secret. The way I figured it, if we just hit one obstacle at a time at a pace we could manage, eventually there would be no more mountains to climb, or walls to tear down.

"It's time, okay?" I kissed her shoulder again and she nodded.

"Alright…" Her soft sigh wasn't encouraging, but I knew this would be good. Just one more thing to tackle, then we move on. We could do this. "Ethan!" she called, and he perked his head up.

It was now or never.

25

SCARLETT

My heart fluttered as Nick laid out the truth. Ethan sat so attentively, staring up with his wide blue eyes fixed on his father's face. Nick seemed nervous too, though probably not as much as me. He was probably more excited than anything. Over the past two months since we reconciled, we'd really started talking about our future, about what our family would look like. While Nick hadn't said he wanted to marry me, I knew we were headed that direction.

It felt like we were climbing Mt. Everest though. Every single challenge we faced made me more exhausted. I'd been weary and worrying about Ethan for months. I knew we had a surgery looming in our future and it didn't look promising for Ethan to get to start his second-grade year how he wanted, by playing soccer. The last thing we needed for him was a setback. If the meds didn't help control things in his heart, he'd never be stable enough for the type of surgery he needed, and Nick told me doing it under an emergency situation was very risky.

"So you're my dad then?" Ethan asked, and he climbed onto my lap, leaning away from Nick apprehensively. I'd let Nick takethe lead because I knew I'd just cry. I felt tears welling up several times and blinked them back as he told Ethan the truth.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying." Nick was calm and patient with Ethan, and I felt nauseous over the whole thing. This would've been so much easier if the town hadn't gone nuts over Marjorie Whitman's gossip show. I found myself wanting to blame Nellie's outburst, but I couldn't when I knew it was my secret and I should've never kept it.

Ethan looked to me then back to Nick. "But other kids live with their dads, and you don't live with me. And why didn't you come to any of my birthday parties or Christmas?" Ethan's questions were very valid but there was no way to explain to a child why I had done what I did, why I never told either of them.

"Well, sometimes—" Nick started but I cut him off.

"Ethan, I know you have lots of questions, but I think right now we just need to focus on the fact that Nick is here now. You don't have to call him Daddy if you don't want to. We can just take time getting to know each other and later when you feel comfortable, I can answer all your questions." I hoped my positive misdirection could sate his curiosity, because while he looked a bit frustrated or scared over the announcement, he sounded more curious than anything.

"Alright, Mommy." Ethan looked back to Nick and said, "I like Dr. Nick…Does this mean he will live with us?" That question shocked me, and when I glanced at Nick I saw hope in his eyes.

I chuckled and sighed. "Someday he might live with us. Right now, let's enjoy the beach." I reached into my bag and pulled out a packet of fruit snacks and opened them for him. He seemed content enough to have a snack and I was relieved the hard part was over.

I sucked in a deep breath and checked the time on my phone. Sunlight was starting to fade for the day, and I was getting tired.When I looked back up at Nick, his eyes were elsewhere, staring off into the distance. He looked frustrated or nervous, and I followed his line of sight to where I saw a woman in a bright red bikini sitting on a beach blanket. It was the same woman I'd seen at his office that day, the one he told me was his ex and with whom he had no relationship or interaction.

"Nick," I said softly, even as I noticed her stand up and dust herself off.

"Mmm," he grunted, and I couldn't help but wonder why he was staring at her. It was one thing for us to randomly be on the same beach at the lake at exactly the same time; he didn't have to stare. It only made me more insecure that something was really going on between them that he wasn't telling me about.

"Look, Mommy," Ethan blurted out, and he held his fruit-shaped gummy snack in front of my face. I tried to look around him, to study the expression on Nick's face, but Ethan was insistent that I look at his snack. I frowned and glanced at the snack to see it had a funny bulge in it.

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